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Can the Cam?

EYY

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My cammed ls1 has HEAPS more bottom end than a stock setup but has a small histall (2500-2800) too. Histall is more important than cam, even for a stock ls imo. They make their best power at higher revs. And the lockup converter means that cruising rpm doesn’t change from standard so fuel economy isn’t really effected at all.
 

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i can not stress the fact the tuner plays in any cam, ive seen logs for a US tuner with a cam in the 240-250 idling like a baby and the customer wanted more chop, there are far more tables then most tuners here use or even know actually help with cams they just dont have the extra few hours of testing to find them out, idle and the 1st gear slow speed transitions back and forth are prob the hardest to get right because of the tables they are shifting in and out of must all work with each other, an average tuner will get a small cam working well but a advanced tuner will get a larger cam working just as good but with the benefits of more power/torque


This is so true but with most bogans the peak power number on the dyno readout is what they want for bragging rights, drive ability and good manners seems to get overlooked and the poor manners blamed on the cam rather than the tuner actually putting in the work to get it right.
 

EYY

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I can’t see a 240/250 cam in an auto without a stall having stock manners regardless of the tuner, unless you want to be the Guinea Pig and pay a tuner to have your car for a year while they work with it and wear the cost if they fail.

I have a custom grind 230 with a 112 LSA and ported heads in my manual E Series Clubsport and it gets through traffic without any problems but the tune took some time to get right.

You can definitely tell the car is cammed and I couldn’t see it working in an auto without a stall.

The work was done by Sam’s Performance in Sydney.

Id want a cam around 224/232 LSA 113/114 if it was my car as it tried and true and you may not need a stall.





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They’re a big engine - they’ll keep ticking over without much fuss at low rpm with a moderate cam if tuned properly. If the tuner spends the time to get it right, it’ll have a noticeable chop at idle without driveability issues.

It’s a mixture of ignition timing, idle speed, air and fuel delivery adjustments that get it right. One of the things that makes a good difference is changing when the fuel is injected at idle. This has a massive effect on idle quality. E.g. onto the back of a closed valve, open valve etc.

There are calculators tuners can plug cam specs into to figure out the best base point. A tuner that spends only an hour on a cammed ls and takes his $1000 or thereabouts isn’t doing his job properly. Just be careful who you go to and make sure its both dyno and road tuned. Leave the car with them so that they can run it from dead cold and make adjustments accordingly.

Very easy to tell when a tunes been rushed or they’ve spent all their time trying to get good dyno figures

If you’re interested, you can download hptuners for free. Download a Holden ls tune and open it in advanced mode to see what settings are available.
 

panhead

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They’re a big engine - they’ll keep ticking over without much fuss at low rpm with a moderate cam if tuned properly. If the tuner spends the time to get it right, it’ll have a noticeable chop at idle without driveability issues.

It’s a mixture of ignition timing, idle speed, air and fuel delivery adjustments that get it right. One of the things that makes a good difference is changing when the fuel is injected at idle. This has a massive effect on idle quality. E.g. onto the back of a closed valve, open valve etc.

There are calculators tuners can plug cam specs into to figure out the best base point. A tuner that spends only an hour on a cammed ls and takes his $1000 or thereabouts isn’t doing his job properly. Just be careful who you go to and make sure its both dyno and road tuned. Leave the car with them so that they can run it from dead cold and make adjustments accordingly.

Very easy to tell when a tunes been rushed or they’ve spent all their time trying to get good dyno figures

If you’re interested, you can download hptuners for free. Download a Holden ls tune and open it in advanced mode to see what settings are available.


I agree and if Cuda is adamant about wanting perfect street manners he'd be better going for a small stall with a larger cam to get his money's worth.

I've got a few cammed cars and I'd never bother with a little one just over stock as I couldn't see the point or justify outlaying the cash for a slight improvement.

If that was the case I'd just go with the CAI, exhaust and tune and leave it at that.

I think the 224/232 LSA 113/114 is a good bet for Cuda and if it was my car I'd go bigger.



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monty_vfssv

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This is so true but with most bogans the peak power number on the dyno readout is what they want for bragging rights, drive ability and good manners seems to get overlooked and the poor manners blamed on the cam rather than the tuner actually putting in the work to get it right.
I dunno.. surely there's a limit to drivability and cam size. What cam are you running in your daily? I bet it isn't a silky smooth 240/250..

I think there will always be a sweet spot where you can get a decent cam to surge/buck a bit (in a manual) but it comes down to your driving style and avoiding that sweet spot. I can drive my car like its stock as a rock, but if I let my mum drive it I'm sure it would be a pig for her to drive.
 

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No cam ATM, but i'm looking at a 234/234° on 110lsa for a 304 which should be reasonably grumpy :) and will need a high stall with the auto but will be much for fun with a manual. I will spend forever playing with the tune though.
 

07GTS

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I will spend forever playing with the tune though.
does it ever really stop, i find it odd driving if im not seeing some form of squiggly lines from a laptop
 

07GTS

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I dunno.. surely there's a limit to drivability and cam size. What cam are you running in your daily? I bet it isn't a silky smooth 240/250..

I think there will always be a sweet spot where you can get a decent cam to surge/buck a bit (in a manual) but it comes down to your driving style and avoiding that sweet spot. I can drive my car like its stock as a rock, but if I let my mum drive it I'm sure it would be a pig for her to drive.
the trick is these ecu's are torque based and tuner had total control over what it sees as a torque increase or reduction, the bucking error is spark and spark is based on torque if u have see it in a log spark is like a hack saw blade causing the bucking thru error which the tuner can fix, surging rpm like a wave is airflow/fueling based where the error is too much or too little and it chases itself, get these areas right thru hours of testing and changes and u will have much better drivability, yes a high stall will help a decent cam but it should behave if tuned right in the first place
 

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My missus hates it. I'll drive her car and notice something I don't like so then when I get home and pull out the laptop to tweak the tune...

For my Senator I'm looking at fitting a WB O2 and EGT sensor in each bank with my logger.
 
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EYY

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I agree and if Cuda is adamant about wanting perfect street manners he'd be better going for a small stall with a larger cam to get his money's worth.

I've got a few cammed cars and I'd never bother with a little one just over stock as I couldn't see the point or justify outlaying the cash for a slight improvement.

If that was the case I'd just go with the CAI, exhaust and tune and leave it at that.

I think the 224/232 LSA 113/114 is a good bet for Cuda and if it was my car I'd go bigger.



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lol I know who I replied to
 
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